The Flower's Effect
by Marvelous.Mirana.of.Marmoreal
Summary: Gotta love a little fluff :  Mirana and Alice's thoughts after Alice leaves. When Alice returns, though...what lengths will the two go to in order to declare their love? And they're helped along by, of course, the flower's effect.
1. A Heart's Regret

**Malice, malice, malice…FLUFF! xD**

"**You, my love, will never quite realize how much I regret this- ever. I care for you so much, but I'm not worthy of your love…"—Unknown**

**Pleaseee go listen to the song Our Farewell by Within Temptation.**

**It's just such a sweet song :D**

**Mirana**

Watching her disappear in a cloud of grey smoke was killing me. I shouldn't have given her the blasted Jabberwock blood!

"_**Watch your tongue, Mirana. Such language is not Queen-like." **_I thought to myself. I smirked, but the smirk faded as there was a sharp pain in my chest. I knew my heart was broken, but I didn't know it was broken so badly. I had wanted Alice so much…and she was gone.

"_Alice?" I asked, turning to look at the young woman. I didn't want to have to lay burden on her shoulders, but I was weakening- I couldn't hold the burden by myself much longer. I felt terrible, sending this girl to her death. I would rather the Jabberwock kill me than send her to fight for the crown. I'd sacrifice myself for my newfound love._

_Only, I wasn't quite sure she loved me back._

I quickly realized everyone had left the Tulgey Wood, everyone except Cream, my loyal mare. I walked, or trudged, over to her and ran my fingers through her mane. She nuzzled my face, sensing my pain. I let the tears fall freely down my face as my façade fell, no one around to witness. I felt so broken, so weak.

I wrapped my arms around the mare's neck and sobbed, leaning all my weight against her. I was, oddly, not startled by the tiny hand that wiped the tears from my pale face. It was Mally, I knew, because only she would stay behind to check on me. I had talked to her the night before the Frabjous Day and told her of my feelings.

"Mirana, she'll be back. Din nea worry. 'Tis not fer usal, friend," she whispered, laying a comforting kiss on my cheek. I sniffled and stood up, careful not to knock her off my shoulder. I nodded slowly and sat on the dirty ground, picking up Mally in one hand. "Wha' is it, Mirana? Somethin' else is wrong."

"I regret all of it, Mally- sending her to almost certain death, hoping that she'd live, but also hoping that she'd stay. It was stupid and childish to want her love like that. It was stupid to believe she could ever love me back. It was stupid to give her the Jabberwock blood." I fought back the new tears and ran a finger over Mallymkin's small head.

"But you'd do it again, wouldn't ye? If it meant seeing 'er again, but this time, knowing the outcome."

"Touché, Mallymkin, touché," I whispered, closing my eyes. I tried so hard to remember the sound of her voice, my only sanity left…

**Alice**

Climbing out of the rabbit hole, I stumbled, trying to gain my balance. I was already upset that I drank the disgusting blood- I knew I had wanted to stay and I refused to follow my instincts yet again. I looked to my left, a glimmer of hope appearing as I thought I saw what I was hoping for.

Marmoreal.

Since it wasn't there, I walked slowly back to the engagement party. I was now certain that I'd reject Hamish, after my experience in Marmoreal. I saw something in the Queen that I'd never seen in anyone else. I thought I loved her. I felt so guilty after drinking that damned Jabberwocky blood. It was obvious they all had wanted me to stay, even the Queen herself. But I decided to be daft and drink it! All of it! I wanted so badly to turn around and jump back down that rabbit hole. I'd be willing to walk around Underland a million times if it meant finding Mirana.

But for now, I was angry. I told off everyone at the party and joined Lord Ascot in a journey towards China.

So now- lying in my cabin on the ship (curiously named "The Wonder")- I stared up at my ceiling. I thought about Mirana. I could swear I saw her face etched into the wooden roof, but it was obviously and illusion. Everything was an illusion now. The only thing that reminded me I was still alive was the pang of regret that crossed my heart every once in a while.

"_The blood of the Jabberwocky. You'll have our everlasting gratitude for your efforts on our behalf." She had obviously been unwilling to give it to me, but I had foolishly taken it._

"_Will this take me home?"_

"_If that is what you choose," she said, half-heartedly. She reached towards me and caressed my face, a million words passing between us with that one touch._

"How could you have been so foolish Alice?" I shouted, standing up and throwing my fist at the wall. My knuckles began to bleed as I realized the truth. She loved me. I loved her. I cried out in frustration- I was in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with no way back to London…unless I asked Lord Ascot and gave him a sincere apology.

I stole a glance over at my mirror and had to do a double take. I stared with a look of disbelief on my face. This was impossible.

There, in the mirror- staring back at me with a similar look of disbelief- was Mirana. My White Queen of Marmoreal.


	2. A Heart's Limit

**Next chapter! Lol, I didn't add very much detail in the last chapter. I should've added that Alice was headed through the Mediterranean to get to an Italian trade post before heading to China. (This would mean going through the Atlantic…)**

**(Thanks, stuck-on-air) xD**

"_**I can't go any further than this…"**_

_**The Heart's Limit**_

_**Alice POV**_

"Alice, I can't do it by myself- I need you to meet me halfway on this!" she shouted at me. Her hand was slipping from mine as she tried to pull me through the Glass. It was extremely difficult for the both of us- the Glass was thicker than either of us thought. I heard her grunt as she tried her hardest to keep her grip on my arm. I was barely through the glass- one arm, one leg, and half my torso. So I took my other foot, firmly planted it on the ground, and shoved myself through the glass.

The two of us fell onto the floor of, what I assumed to be, her bed chambers. I laughed humorlessly. I was exhausted. I wondered why I hadn't been hurt from the fall, but when I looked around, I saw why.

I was lying on top of Mirana.

I smiled sheepishly, blushing, and rolled off of her, standing up, and helped her to stand as well. Once we were standing together, we both busted out laughing at each other's appearances. Her crown was crooked on her head, her hair was a mess, and her dress was wrinkled from our fall. But I'm sure I didn't look any better than her.

As I realized how long I'd been staring at her, I blushed even deeper. But…she didn't take her eyes off of me. She was unmoving, still staring at me. I smiled softly and lowered my eyes, trying not to feel as awkward as I did. Before I knew what was happening, her hand grazed my cheek. I wanted to lean into her touch, but that would be inappropriate.

_**Mirana POV**_

I absent mindedly reached out to her and caressed her face as I had not 3 weeks ago. But I immediately felt stupid when she looked up at me. Why had I done that? What made me think that touching her would be alright? What if she hated me now? But I saw something in her eyes that told me she didn't hate me.

"Alice…why'd you come back?" I said, my breathing still a little labored.

"H-Honestly?" she stuttered. Her face pale so that its color was almost the same as mine. "I…I c-couldn't leave without saying goodbye," she whispered, gaining strength in her voice. "But, now, I don't think I plan on leaving." I smiled brightly at this. Maybe- just…maybe- I could tell her how I feel. Yet for now, she needed a place to stay.

"That's wonderful! Now, we need to find you an empty guest's room to stay in and then you should probably eat something and…and you have no clothes, do you?" I asked shyly. I heard the double meaning in my words, and it made me blush. I cursed myself and my thoughts as I gently took her hand and led her out of my bedroom.

And, suddenly, we were back in my room again. I let out a squeak as Alice spun me around and kissed me. After the shock wore off, I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy this. I took my heart to the limit…only because I was afraid that she'd break it. She finally broke the kiss, but…the minute she did…I felt so very untouched. But as she looked at me, her eyes sparkling and her lovely mouth curled up in a smile, I couldn't help but wonder about the consequences of this. Was it worth putting me heart out there, only to have it broken? When I didn't smile back, hers faded.

"I…Um…I'm sorry," she stuttered, running out of the room. I sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed. Had I just blown it _again_?

_**Alice POV (yes, yes :D longer chapters)**_

I pulled her close to me and kissed her, my hand resting on the back of her head. She was surprised, I knew, but it wasn't long before she was kissing me as well. Her hands crept up my arms and rested on my shoulders while mine lowered to hold her waist. I did, eventually, stop the kiss. I needed to breath, right?

As I pulled away from the best kiss I'd ever had, I smiled at her. This had been what she wanted, no? But when I realized she wasn't smiling back at me, I immediately felt stupid. That was the stupidest move I'd ever made! To kiss a Queen- was it even legal? Who knows…but for now, I let my smile break. I stuttered out an apology and rushed away from there.

That- that right there- was why I never took love that far. I always had my heart torn apart in the simplest of moments; the quickest of seconds; the oddest of days. I ran, and kept running, for quite some time. I finally hit the maze and ran through there as well. I, eventually, found the middle of it. The middle was a huge garden, one of epic proportions. I wiped at my tears as I walked around a bit.

There were trees and flowers and just about every other kind of plant that one could think of. It was, truthfully, the only color at Marmoreal other than white or blue. There was blue and purple, pink and green, brown and green, orange and yellow, white and blue.

White and Blue.

Mirana and Alice.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I tried to erase it. I picked one white and one blue flower and stuck them both behind my right ear. I felt better knowing that I had something of Mirana's to now call my own. Even if it wasn't quite her heart, I liked it anyways. I didn't plan on taking it off, either. If she never talked to me again- it'd be hell, but still- I wanted something that helped me remember her. Her…the one woman- no, the one person- to ever break my heart's limit.


	3. A Heart's Savior

**Just because you guys are so effin' cool (and, to be honest, I've got nothing better to do) here's another chapter! I might put up a fourth one, depending how long I can drag it out ;) I'm really getting into this one…**

**I CHANGED THE TITLE OF THE STORY! Lol, just so you know ;)**

"_**Take a look at my body, look at my hands. There's so much here that I don't understand…"**_

_**The Heart's Savior**_

_**Mirana POV**_

I was still sitting on my bed by time supper rolled around. I stood slowly, trying to remember why I had ever trusted myself to love Alice the way she deserved. As I stood, I glanced in the mirror. I decided that I needed to change me dress, though there was nothing wrong with the one I had on. Maybe it was the fact that I still felt Alice's body on top of mine whenever my thoughts floated to the dress. Maybe it was the fact that I wore this dress while breaking Alice's heart.

I still changed the dress, for whatever reason there was.

I sighed deeply and wiped at my tears that I had no memory of crying. I pulled a comb through my tangled hair and re-applied any white face powder I needed to hide the purple markings around my eyes. I'd come to accept that they appeared when I was upset and I'd learned how to cover them. But it seemed that, today, no amount of make-up in all of Underland could cover these particular colors. They were more black than purple, but I thought nothing of it.

I opened my bedroom and door and started walking down the hall as slowly as I could. Maybe I could get away with just eating in the Kitchen tonight; or, maybe, skipping supper all together. But I knew that was not possible- McTwisp would catch me, force me into the Dining Room, and- if necessary- feed me himself. I was grateful for his protectiveness, but sometimes…I didn't deserve it. Like right now.

Right now, I probably deserved to be ejected from Alice's life. I deserved to go insane and be locked up by myself. I deserved to be alone…but then again, hadn't I always been alone anyway? I tried not to dwell on the thought as I entered the dining room. I was immediately shocked when I saw that Alice was the only one- human or creature- to be sitting in the room…and she was staring at me in great despair. I pulled a pocket-watch out of my dress' pocket and checked the time. I was, indeed, very early. I bit my lip, unsure of how to proceed.

But, then, I couldn't help but smile when I saw the white and blue flowers in her hair. Maybe there was hope after all.

_**Alice POV**_

As I trudged through the lovely garden, I couldn't stop my hand from reaching up to touch the flowers I'd placed in my hair. They felt so right being there. Could that mean that Mirana and I were right? Were we wrong? What were we, if anything? All these questions kept running through my mind as I watched the sun set- well, suns…there were two, much to my surprise.

Once the sun was nearly completely below the bumpy horizon, I made my way out of the maze as fast as I could. Once I reached the castle, I cleaned up my face and headed to the Dining Room for supper. There wasn't anyone sitting in the large room, so I took a seat near the middle of the table. I didn't want to avoid Mirana, but I didn't want to exactly be right next to her either. The door opened, and my head snapped up.

_Speak of the devil, and the devil shall appear. _I thought, though she was nowhere near being a devil. Right now, she looked more like an angel to me…a sad angel at that. Just as I realized I was staring, she smiled, her gaze directed at my flowers. I grinned back, but was disappointed when she went to sit at the head of the table. I scolded myself for being selfish. I'd wanted too much over the past week.

Supper was very, in the least, awkward. It was obvious that Mirana was trying not to talk to me. She had engaged the Hatter in a conversation about hats, to which she looked completely withdrawn and bored. But, I could also see that she was glancing over at me every once in a while.

When supper had ended, I was the first to stand and leave the room. Little to my surprise, but much to everyone else's, Mirana was the second to leave. I could hear her following me as I walked back towards that hidden garden. I was almost shocked when she didn't bother running up to me or calling out to stop me. She simply…followed. And, honestly, that was more than anyone had ever done for me.

Once I reached the center for a second time today, I sat on a bench that had probably not been there earlier. I kept my eyes on my hands while the woman I loved sat silently beside me. I waited for her to say something, and then, I remembered. It was not something I preferred to remember, but I couldn't help it.

I started crying- no, sobbing- while I thought of Father, Mother, and Margaret. I should not have left at all. I'd never get to visit Daddy's grave, I wouldn't get to see Margaret's son grow up, and I wouldn't get to help Mother when she was old and withering away. I wouldn't get to say goodbye to any of them. These very thoughts alone made me cry so hard that my body was shaking.

And suddenly, it wasn't shaking anymore. Mirana had pulled me into her arms, resting my head on her shoulder as I wet her dress with tears. She whispered words that were supposed to be comforting in my ear, rubbing my back. This only made me cry harder, as it made me think of Father again. When would this torture end?

_**Mirana POV**_

As she sobbed into my shoulder, I couldn't help but think that this was my fault. Was she crying because I hadn't smiled at her before; that I hadn't confirmed my love for her? Or was she second-guessing coming back in the first place- again, probably my fault.

I pulled her off my shoulder and looked her in the eyes, curious to see her tears. I hadn't cried in heaven knows how long. I took one hand and wiped away one tear at a time, watching- intrigued- as a smiled lit up her features. She sort of hiccupped once, giving a short chuckle, and then growing somber again. I gulped down a breath of air after I realized I'd been holding it. I let my hands fall from her shoulders, still ashamed about earlier in the day.

"Mirana? Look at me; please…I want you to do something for me." When I looked up at her, she looked a bit nervous. "Look at my body. Look at my hands. Look at my face; look at my clothes. Tell me, do I look like I belong here? There's just so much I'm struggling to understand" she asked, a tone of sadness present.

"Honestly?" I asked. She nodded quickly. I saw, in her eyes, a bit of fear growing larger and larger. "Yes. You do belong here. At least, _I_ believe that you do. I don't know about you, but I would die if you left here again. You see, Alice, I-" I stopped short, unsure about whether or not I should tell her. "I like you. You're strong; you've got a ton of muchness; you're a beautiful young woman and you've got so much potential. You belong here as much as I do- as much as the Hatter, McTwisp, Absolem, even Chessur!" She grinned. This time, it stayed in place. I happened to look at her flowers again, and got the strength to tell her. "And, you know, I love you. That helps it as well. I love you, I adore you, I think you're absolutely amazing, and-" Again, I was cut off.

"Shut your mouth, catch your breath, and then kiss me," she whispered, clamping a hand over my mouth. I smiled brightly, stopped talking, and leaned in to kiss her even more passionately than I had before. It was dark, so no one could see us.

Our breathing was short and ragged when we finally stopped, both of our faces flushed. We didn't especially want to return to the castle, so we layed out on the soft grass of the garden and looked at the stars. Somewhere in that time, we'd cuddled up next to each other, holding hands and running our hands through each other's hair.

"You know, I always thought that you were some kind of angel; my savior. Now, I _know_ you're an angel. You saved me from going insane," I whispered, giving away my secret.

"And I could say the same," she smirked. I looked over at her and actually _looked_ at the flowers behind her ear.

"Oh, Alice? Where did you find those flowers?" She pointed to a general area to out right and shrugged. I got up so that I was resting on one elbow, leaning over her. Looking at the flowers again, I got even more courage.

I leaned down and layed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then kissed down to her neck. The soft flesh was sweet and very Alice-like. She brought my face up to hers and kissed me once again. I broke it early, though, and told her about the flower. It was the oddest of times, but I needed to tell her.

"Alice? Those flowers are quite amazing, you know…especially since they are the only two of their existence. They began dieing off after the Horevendush Day. There was a frost hour, but I'd rather not talk about it," I said softly, shuddering at the memory. I stood up and took her hand, pulling her with me.

"What were they called?" she asked, all innocence, holding fast to my hand.

"They have none…Diligo est diligo: expertus per fortuna quod renuntio per virtus quod termination. Amor nos elegit." I whispered, caressing her cheek. She looked so confused, but going by my tone, I'm sure that she knew what I meant.

_**Mwaha! 'Tis not over yet!**_

_**What Mirana said—**_**"Love is love: proven by fate and announced with courage and determination. Love chose us."**

**Yes, I used Latin. But yes, it was from a translator xD So, I really don't know how accurate it is :)**


End file.
